The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-11-29
BEecHER's EuLocIsT.
Or. Joseph Parker at Variance With
Plymouth Church.
BROOKLYN People indignant at the
Eminent English Divine
Because He Accepts Pay for His
Memorial Address.

BROOKLYN. N. Y, Nov. 2S.-The.indigna-
tion in Plymouth Church over the action of
DR.. Joseph Parker and Major ]. B. Pond, in
diverting part of the proceeds of the Beech
er eulogy in the Academy of Music in Brook
lyn from the Statue Fund has reached such
point that it is doubtful whether DR.. Park
er will preach again in the church. When
he appeared there on the first Sunday in Oc-
tober. and was paid 500 for his two sermons
it was announced that he would preach on
another Sunday before his return home,
then expected to occur in March. When his
departure next month was decided upon, ar
rangements were made for his preaching
next Sunday morning
But the disclosure of the fact that DR.. Par
ker had accepted pay for his memorial adj
dress, which he led the epublic to believe was
a labor of love, has put an entirely different
phase upone the matter, and there is little
desire to hear him preach again. Yesterday
morning no announcement was made In re-
gard to the pulpit supply next Sunday. AS
sistant Pastor Halliday said to a reporter
that it would be known later in the week
whether DR.. Parker would preach. Con-
gressman S. V. White made public yester-
day, in the Brooklyn Eagle, letter in which
he expressed himself in vigorous manner in
regard to the actions of both DR.. Parker and
and Major Pond. In the course of the letter
he said: There is not yet sufficient evil
dence before the community to warrant 1t in
deciding that DR.. Parker posed as one max
ing long pilgrimage that he might lay a
wre ath on the grave of his illustri0us friend,
xUb a ha n w
aid of his manager, as he wrought upon the
sympathieS of those who loved Mr.. Beecher
with devotion so pure that refined gold, II
inwrought with lit, would have become as
dress. We have not had enough evidence
to decide that. There is not sufficient evi-
denee before us to warrant this community
in deciding that Dr. Parker's manager is
holding these proceeds as guarantee fund
out of which to make gooda losing venture
whereby he bought DR.. Parker's services, at
an estimated valuation of his own, which
was above the valuation the American pub
lie placed upon that article of merchandise.
But if the Statue Committee does its duty
there will be enough evidence ELECTED before
DR.. Parker sails to settle both OF these ques-
tions
''But there is abundance Of evidence that
James b. Pond Is withholding from the
treasury of the statue fund money belonging
to the fund.- to which he has no more right
than he has to another mans pocket-book. 1t
is conceded that sum, however small, was
realized from the eulogy, which Mr.. Pond
Mr.. Pond still retains the money and refuses
an accounting. Were he dealing with an in
dividual, instead of fund, and were the
matter one of ordinary business instead OF
one so sacred that the community would
feel shocked at the very name of litigation
concerning it, Mr.. Pond might soon find him
self defendant in suit which it would only
be wise precautiOn under our New York
laws to provide himself with bondsman
lest the action should take the form known
among lawyers as one sounding in tort.
Now let the committee be yigilant in con-
fronting the two actors in this drama In the
presence of each other.
'The money was obtained from sympa-
thetic community upon the express state
ment that the net proceeds were to lnure 10
the benefit to the statue fund. If it is to be
subjected to charge for three months jun
keting in the Catskills in obtaining the net
results let them Jointly say so, and let them
state which of them put up the job. Ii 1t is
further to be subjected to a charge for an
agreed fee to DR.. Parker, let them jointly
money was obtained under false pretences.
hear that DIR. Parker is engaged to preach
on December III Plymouth pulpit. If the
fact is demonstrated before that time that
DIR. Parker received a fee out of the receipts
for that eulogy predict that Plymouth pull
pit will, on that day. be too hot to hold him,
or at least if he can endure the caloric of his
environment he will look out on a congrega-
tion so frigid that the contrast will suggest
the respective temperatures of Dives and
Lazarus on memorable occasion"
The excitement was increased today when
a despatch was published, dated Chicago, in
which DIR. Parker dctiantly states that he re-
ceived exactly 800 for his eulogy OF Beecher
and considered that no remarkable compen-
sation for travelling 5000 miles, leaving his
pulpit and home for five weeks, and prepar-
ing the address. The members of Plymouth
church assert it is well known that Mr.. Par
ker also received $3.50 from publishers
syndicate for a copyright of the eulogy.